Silent Hill 3

Written by Tom Clare in PS2 Game Reviews, Monday 26 December, 2005

Enjoy The Silence

I must say I've loved the Silent Hill series ever since the PSOne original burst onto the scene in 1999 and successfully scared the hell out of me. The developers at Konami may have 'borrowed' rather a lot of their ideas from fellow survival-horror top-dog Resident Evil, but would make good use of them, scaring on a whole new level with the depiction of freakish monsters, terrifically atmospheric use of darkness and a frequently-disturbing narrative.

One spine-tingling sequel later and we have 2003's Silent Hill 3 (SH3); set around 17 years after the original, you assume control of Heather, daughter to the original hero, Harry Mason. She is joined by the 'is he a goodie, is he a baddie?' detective-cum-stalker Douglas, as well as Silent Hill's token righteous nut-case Claudia. Heather is in a mall when she has a hellish nightmare, though in a fashion typical of the great series, things get a lot worse before she can make them any better. The setup of the game remains almost completely unchanged from the previous outings - it's a third-person survival-horror game with the emphasis on conserving ammo, solving puzzles and generally finding ways to get from point-A to point-B to help the story progress.

Silent Hill 3 succeeds and fails in much the same areas as its illustrious predecessors. The successes are often more rewarding, though its problems also seem more pronounced, with the good ultimately outweighing the bad.

The graphics engine is where I'll start because it is without doubt the highlight of the game, not only because it places SH3 among the most visually impressive games on the PS2, but because it's technical superiority allows it to create a superb sense of atmosphere. A lot of the environments in SH3 are very dimly lit, meaning Heather's cheap pocket-torch is once again the primary source of lighting. The developers have combined the limited lighting with some close camera-angles - not only does this make many areas feel incredibly claustrophobic because of blind spots in your field of vision, but the light also reacts realistically to individual objects - the lanky, jagged shadows cast by railings always make you jump! The detail and designs of each and every room in the game are as wonderful as they are shocking, with a stunning graining appearance proving the icing on the cake visually.

It does in truth still look pretty similar to Silent Hill 2, though there is one clear improvement graphically and that's in the look of the characters; most-evident in the cut-scenes. Heather is so detailed that you can see the individual freckles on her face, as well as the blonde colouring in her hair and the ever-tiring look in her red-rimmed eyes. Facial expressions are decent too, making the encounters between characters look superb. Sadly, the voice-acting remains about as serious and menacing as a scene out of a Police Academy, and only half as well-acted…

…Still, music and sound effects go someway to making up for the lack of acting talent. Konami have proven on countless occasions that in terms of presentation, they can't be faulted and this here is no different. The combination of deep, foreboding music with the grainy, handheld-camera appearance gives the impression of a remarkably serious game - and at times, it feels like you're in the centre of a totally convincing horror movie. The pocket radio Heather carries spits static whenever a monster is nearby, but rather cleverly can be confused for wind or the static from televisions - so the lack of light has you straining to see and the mixture of noises has you trying to pick out the sound of a monster in the distance; before you realise it, you're hooked and completely on edge.

SH3's environments are ultimately a mixed bag. A real plus-point (and a first for the series) is the use of 'reality' in the levels - a deserted, uncharacteristically well-lit shopping-mall at the beginning and Heather's own apartment block being two such examples. The disturbing 'Otherworld' again plays a major role in proceedings; delivering gory, thoroughly distasteful interpretations of areas often already visited - it is in these areas that the scares are cranked to the maximum as the developers give their version of hell; bodies are strung from the ceilings, bloodied wheelchairs and covered corpses are scattered about, floors and walls are made up of grills and rusted, bloody railings, and as if the deprived surroundings weren't enough, the game also takes many an opportunity to play tricks with your mind. One room in the Hospital sees a single locker swing open to reveal a body in a bag, still alive, though Heather doesn't want to get too close! Elsewhere, there is a school classroom with a single desk in the centre with the words 'Go Home' gouged into it (anyone who has played the original game may remember this very room) and a Haunted House at the amusement park with some very nasty surprises…

There are some fabulously-realised set-pieces - right near the beginning Heather memorably gets to run down a rollercoaster line, only for the runaway carriages to mow her off, revealing the event to be a dream. There are also some new sections where blood seeps through the walls and floors, enveloping entire rooms - definitely a cue to scarper!

Sounds rather good so far doesn't it? Silent Hill 3's major gameplay failing comes in its crippling linearity - something that ultimately causes detriment to the game in several areas. There are a ridiculous number of unopenable doors, even more so than in Silent Hill 2, which itself seemed to sport more than the original - this is a rather worrying trait, as at least technically the games should be providing greater freedom of choice and exploration. Around 60% of doors sport a tagline such as 'the door is jammed' or 'the lock is broken' or my personal favourite; 'the door is shut tight' - all of which looks suspiciously like lazy programming to me, and because of this, large areas of the map cannot be explored, and if a puzzle arises, chances are you never have to go particularly far to get the items needed to complete the task. The items themselves are once again very oddly selected; Heather will tell you a thousand times that the stuff before her is 'junk' and then she'll pick up something totally unremarkable such as a coat hanger, bleach or an empty wine bottle.

Later on in the adventure you get to return to the Brookhaven Hospital, fans may remember this location from Silent Hill 2. Whilst it makes a welcome appearance, it only serves to highlight the step backwards in terms of the players freedom, and the fact that only around half-a-dozen rooms per floor can be explored further emphasises the feeling that you are being lead by the hand. Because much of the game is basically a trial of finding which doors open and which doors don't, I completed the game in a meagre four hours first time through - significantly less than either of the previous games. Fortunately, it has considerably greater replay value on offer, as Heather can gain some rather remarkable costumes, as well as a raft of new weapons including a flamethrower and a lightsaber! For those looking for something a little different, there's a few variant ending sequences, as well as three difficulty settings not only for the action level, but for the puzzles too - although be warned, the puzzles on 'Hard' are truly ridiculous at times.

To be honest it isn't the most original of titles, but then there have been precious few survival-horror games that have set new trends in the 21st Century. Instead, SH3 decides to continue where the last game left off and in truth it could simply be the same game engine with a new story, though at the same time if you enjoyed the first two instalments you'll probably find a lot to like here too.

Not like me to agree with BBFC certificates I know, but the '15' given to SH3 seems about right - there is a fair bit of gore (usually more in the surroundings than the actual action) but its also pretty tough psychologically, proving a real nerve-shredder at times; definitely not one for the youngsters.

Once again, Silent Hill 3 cannot be faulted in-terms if its presentation - glorious, grainy visuals play host to a nerve-jangling adventure with plenty of tension thanks to some clever lighting tricks, neatly selected camera-angles and opportune use of sound-effects. I regret to say it's a further step backwards for the series though, as lazy design and a ridiculously linear adventure path means it's all over too soon, and not the classic its predecessors were.

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